A man charged with fatally shooting a 17-year-old girl in Chicago said he did it after seeing her throw water at a McDonald's employee, prosecutors say.
Anthony Heredia, 19, was arrested moments after the girl was shot in the 2500 block of S. Kolin Avenue, near the parking lot of a McDonald's, in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood about 3 p.m. on Friday, Chicago Police said.
Tierra Franklin, a student at Curie High School, has been identified as the victim.
Heredia is charged with first-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and possession of a controlled substance.
At his bond hearing on Sunday, prosecutors said he told investigators he was called to the McDonald's at 4334 W. 26th Street by an employee who said they had recognized Franklin from a recent altercation at the restaurant, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
The McDonald's employees told him everything was fine when he arrived, so he waited in the parking lot while Franklin got food with some family members.
But prosecutors said Franklin later approached a drive-thru window and threw a cup of water at an employee.
That prompted Heredia to pull out a gun and fire twice at Franklin as she was running back to a car.
She was transported to St. Anthony Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Franklin dreamed of becoming a lawyer and was eagerly looking forward to her senior year and attending prom, her family told ABC7.
She was an orphan in the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Her mother died of cancer two months ago and her father died when she was a child, relatives told ABC7. Family members were spending the Fourth of July holiday in Florida, but Franklin decided to stay in Chicago, they said.
Heredia apologized to Franklin's family during his court appearance on Sunday, according to the Tribune. "I just want to apologize to the victim's family," he said.
Circuit Judge Susana Ortiz ordered him to be held without bail on Sunday.
He was identified by multiple McDonald's employees as having been in the restaurant immediately before the shooting, according to the Tribune.
A surveillance camera captured Heredia returning to the parking lot to pick up a shell casing, the Sun-Times reported.
Prosecutors said investigators matched another casing found at the scene of the shooting to the one found in Heredia's pocket when he was arrested.
He had been on parole since March after pleading guilty in January to reckless discharge of a firearm in connection with a 2021 incident.
Franklin's family, Heredia's attorney and McDonald's have been contacted for comment.
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